As season ends for Giants receiver Ramses Barden, it begins for Derek Hagan

EPARamses Barden found out he would be placed on season-ending IR Tuesday.

Ramses Barden had his cell phone on the table in front of him while he was signing autographs at Walgreens. He was hoping it wouldn’t ring with a call from the Giants telling him he was being placed on injured reserve.

Had he opened the phone, he would have seen the text message. The team was already trying to get in touch with him.

“Damn,” the second-year wide receiver said when told he was indeed put on IR two days after suffering a fractured left ankle and a torn ligament. “But I kind of expected it.”

Barden’s season is over.

Derek Hagan’s has finally begun.

The Giants have re-signed Hagan, who initially joined the team in December 2008 after Plaxico Burress’ self-shooting. Hagan caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown last season, though his main contributions were on special teams.

The 26-year-old Hagan, a former third-round pick of the Dolphins, was released at final cuts this year. But with Steve Smith out for this weekend’s game (and perhaps longer), as well as Barden’s injury, the Giants were desperate for a veteran who could play right away. Hagan proved to be the best option after a workout yesterday.

“I’m happy for Derek,” Barden said.

What about for himself? Only a day earlier, coach Tom Coughlin was ruing the missed opportunity for Barden, a third-round pick last year who dressed for only three games as a rookie and is now the fourth Giants wide receiver (Domenik Hixon, Victor Cruz and Sinorice Moss being the others) to land on injured reserve this year.

“It’s appreciated,” Barden said of Coughlin’s comments. “I’m definitely excited the staff and coaches have noticed my progress and my effort because that’s what it’s about.”

It was easy to notice Barden’s progress in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. He caught three passes for 34 yards (plus one for 13 yards that was negated by an illegal-formation penalty) in only two quarters of action. But when he rolled his ankle inward and saw on film the following day how it “recoiled” in a way that “wasn’t a natural movement,” Barden knew he had done serious damage.

He also knew that his development was about to hit a speed bump just as he was starting to feel comfortable in game situations.

“When the comfort comes, that’s when the natural athletic ability takes over,” he said, “and you can react and play with instincts.”

Barden showed his ability on a 26-yard slant in the second quarter against Dallas when he froze cornerback Mike Jenkins with a well-run route. He slammed his left fist into the turf after being tackled because he realized he could have pushed the route farther inside. Safety Gerald Sensabaugh had moved toward the middle of the field.

Barden’s first NFL touchdown will have to wait.

“That one hurt,” Barden said. “You could see me (react). I could taste it.”

Those are the kind of learning experiences and on-field adjustments Barden won’t make again until next year. But as he advised Cruz when the Paterson native was placed on IR last month, he’ll stick around and attend meetings to advance mentally.

“Where else am I going to go with a three-foot cast on my leg?” he said with a laugh, before adding: “I’m sure the confidence I’ve gained will carry over, and it’s added motivation to come back in great shape again.”

Note: In addition to Hagan, the Giants brought back another player who was let go at final cuts: DT Dwayne Hendricks. The team signed the Millville native, Miami (Fla.) grad and 2009 undrafted free agent to its practice squad after losing DT Nate Collins to the Jaguars over the weekend.